Halfway through Italy: abstract paintings, gray herons, and letting go

Hi! I’m officially halfway through my residency in Italy and honestly... i’m still trying to process how magical it’s been. There are no words to describe how I feel. I wasn't sure how Caedon (4) would handle being in a different country and away from home, but he keeps telling me that "everything" has been his favorite, and I think he means it.

If you know my work, you know that it is very detailed and meticulous. When I finish a piece, it often feels like I just completed a hard workout because I put so much focus into getting the piece right. So coming into this residency, I made a rule for myself: no plan. I just wanted to see what happened ... I really needed to see what would happen.

At first? This was hard. I was completely exhausted from travel. Seeing the landscapes of Tuscany took my breath away, so that's what I painted—and if I'm honest with myself, I painted them because I was struggling to just let go. Several days later I started painting landscape abstracts—which is NOTHING like what I normally do. But it was so freeing and felt like rest. While I know abstracts aren't the main future of my collections, holding space for that practice was the reset I needed, and I think it will be important for my future work to maintain abstract landscapes as an outlet for my detailed pieces.

I've had two artistic breakthroughs, I vlogged about them here and here. 

Today, as I was walking down several roads trying to find my painting spot for the day, a Grey Heron flew right past me twice. I didn't even know they were in Italy! Blue Herons have always held a lot of meaning to me, and Italy apparently has the Grey Heron, which holds a lot of significance to this country. I quickly sat down to create, and my sketchbook came alive with ideas for a new Blue Heron series: wall art, textiles, wallpaper, and stationery. All of it.

After that collection was sketched and planned, a butterfly series came next (which was fully inspired by the butterflies that were flying all around me this morning).

Outside the studio, Tuscany has been an absolute dream. Siena totally stole my heart, seeing the Statue of David in Florence was magical, Pisa was a blast, and watching the grape harvest happening across the vineyards has given me a whole new appreciation for wine as an art form. I knew Italy would be wonderful, but it has been better than I have ever imagined.

We're heading to Rome for 3 days, Florence for 2 (art museums galore!!!), then off to the Amalfi Coast for the remainder of the trip. The best part? Getting to experience all of this alongside my kiddo and my parents. And my husband flies in on Wednesday—we can't wait to have him here and we've been missing him BIG!

I'm also not sure how to say this, but I don't take being here lightly. I realize that traveling here is gift, a blessing, and I am doing my best to honor it through the work that I'm doing while I'm here and through the work that I will produce when I'm back home. I guess all that to say, I do not take this for granted. 

I'm dumping a ton of photos below from the studio, the sketches, and the trip so far. Thank you all so much for following along on this journey with me... more updates soon!

Pictured above: The family in Siena (pic taken by Caedon!)

Pictured above: Quick landscapes of Greve in Chianti

Pictured above: One of the sketches for a new Blue Heron collection

Pictured above: Siena, my favorite place so far.

Pictured above: Sunrise over Greve in Chianti (this is the view from my apartment)

Pictured above: Playing Go Fish with the Family

Pictured above: Abstract landscape of Tuscany